---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you haven't created the time as an…"
description: "\"If you haven't created the time as an owner to understand why people are choosing your model over your competition, then you are only managing the busi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/michael-gerber-3751_business_if-you-haven-t-created-the-time-as-an-ow_63359.jpg"
---

#  If you haven't created the time as an owner to understand…

![“If you haven't created the time as an owner to understand why people are choosing your model over your competition, then you are only managing the business that comes in the door, not actively seeking it out.” quote by Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/michael-gerber-3751_business_if-you-haven-t-created-the-time-as-an-ow_63359.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/michael-gerber-3751_business_if-you-haven-t-created-the-time-as-an-ow_63359.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/michael-gerber-3751_business_if-you-haven-t-created-the-time-as-an-ow_63359.jpg)

> “If you haven't created the time as an owner to understand why people are choosing your model over your competition, then you are only managing the business that comes in the door, not actively seeking it out.”

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote stresses the need for proactive market research and ownership of the customer acquisition process rather than passive reliance on inbound business.

**In simple terms:** Proactive market insight drives growth.

Key Takeaway

Own the why behind customer choice.

Themes

customer insight market research proactive strategy competition analysis business ownership

Mood

motivated strategic

Type

advice business insight

When to use this quote

- launching a new product
- entering a new market
- revamping sales strategy
- evaluating competitor strengths

Key Concepts

customer acquisition value proposition strategic planning competitive advantage

Practical Applications

- designing targeted marketing campaigns
- refining product positioning

Questions to Reflect On

- What data would reveal why customers prefer your offering?
- How can you shift from reactive to proactive acquisition?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Business Comes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business-comes-782487/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Competition Managing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition-managing-855119/) [Door](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/door/) [Managing Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/managing-business-625951/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Owner Understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/owner-understand-855118/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Owner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-owner-855117/)

## Related quotes

> [As a small business owner myself, I understand what it is like to scale up a business in the early years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-northam/as-a-small-business-owner-myself-i-understand-what-it-is-like-to/)

[Ralph Northam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-northam/)

> [Successful charitable fund-raising has much in common with managing a business: It requires leadership, persistence, and creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rockefeller/successful-charitable-fund-raising-has-much-in-common-with-managing-a/)

[David Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rockefeller/)

> [I really do have rules for running and managing a business that have never been formalized before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/i-really-do-have-rules-for-running-and-managing-a-business-that-have/)

[Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/)

> [I travel a lot. I didn't want to be stuck sitting in my office managing the business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-schultz/i-travel-a-lot-i-didn-t-want-to-be-stuck-sitting-in-my-office/)

[Mike Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-schultz/)

> [Managing a business, small or large, today requires an extremely disciplined, thoughtful approach with regard to the pressure that people are under.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/managing-a-business-small-or-large-today-requires-an-extremely/)

[Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/)

> [I'm a pitchman, my business comes from the pitch, nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-mays/i-m-a-pitchman-my-business-comes-from-the-pitch-nothing-else/)

[Billy Mays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-mays/)

> [No idea for a new growth business ever comes fully shaped. When it emerges, it's half-baked, and it then goes through a process of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/no-idea-for-a-new-growth-business-ever-comes-fully-shaped-when-it/)

[Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/)

> [It's none of the governments business who comes to, in, on, or from my body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-slick/it-s-none-of-the-governments-business-who-comes-to-in-on-or-from-my/)

[Grace Slick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-slick/)

> [Out of the ashes of the music business, comes the rebirth of the musician business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/out-of-the-ashes-of-the-music-business-comes-the-rebirth-of-the/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

> [There's always a conversation about business when it comes to the entertainment industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omarion/there-s-always-a-conversation-about-business-when-it-comes-to-the/)

[Omarion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omarion/)

> [I would deal with President Trump's business no different than I would deal with any other business that comes before the committee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-mnuchin/i-would-deal-with-president-trump-s-business-no-different-than-i/)

[Steve Mnuchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-mnuchin/)

> [Business comes and goes and we make a strategic decision that could lead you to whole new place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jensen-huang/business-comes-and-goes-and-we-make-a-strategic-decision-that-could/)

[Jensen Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jensen-huang/)

> [Whatever you do in your business comes out of a state of inner alignment with life and the source of life itself, so peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/whatever-you-do-in-your-business-comes-out-of-a-state-of-inner/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“My business is anything that comes between men and the Spirit of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-llewellyn/my-business-is-anything-that-comes-between-men-and-the-spirit-of-god/)

[Richard Llewellyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-llewellyn/)

> [“She will wait. Business always comes first”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-march/she-will-wait-business-always-comes-first/)

[Meghan March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-march/)

## More by Michael Gerber

> [The more Strategic Work you do, the more effective, productive, and joyful the Tactical Work becomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/the-more-strategic-work-you-do-the-more-effective-productive-and/)

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

> [I've said it for four decades - work 'on' your business, not just 'in' your business!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/i-ve-said-it-for-four-decades-work-on-your-business-not-just-in-your/)

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

> [If you expect to grow your business, you need to be plotting out your schedules days in advance. Until you get that most basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/if-you-expect-to-grow-your-business-you-need-to-be-plotting-out-your/)

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

> [Growing your own business is great. Watching your ideas come to life, taking care of new customers and watching them become repeat customers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/growing-your-own-business-is-great-watching-your-ideas-come-to-life/)

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

> [You can't be the accountant in your accounting firm. You can't cut the grass in your landscaping business. You can't work on the vehicles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/you-can-t-be-the-accountant-in-your-accounting-firm-you-can-t-cut-the/)

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

> [If everybody's doing everything, then who's accountable for anything?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/if-everybody-s-doing-everything-then-who-s-accountable-for-anything/)

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

> [Without concentration, a business will be ordinary in every respect, because it will have no presence, no inner force, no way to attract the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/without-concentration-a-business-will-be-ordinary-in-every-respect/)

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

> [When I say, 'doin' it, doin' it, doin' it' to a group of small business owners, they immediately respond. They recognize the experience of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/when-i-say-doin-it-doin-it-doin-it-to-a-group-of-small-business/)

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

> [“The natural tendency of man is to remain unconscious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/the-natural-tendency-of-man-is-to-remain-unconscious/)

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

> [There are three things that can be organized: time, space, and work. Note that, despite what many believe, you cannot organize people - you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/there-are-three-things-that-can-be-organized-time-space-and-work-note/)

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

> [The world of the small business owner is all about moving multiple items forward at once, and it's a fool's errand to believe one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/the-world-of-the-small-business-owner-is-all-about-moving-multiple/)

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

> [Entrepreneurship requires an unvanquished spirit of curiosity, an openness to learning, a letting go of OldCo so you're free to create NewCo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/entrepreneurship-requires-an-unvanquished-spirit-of-curiosity-an/)

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

> [Here's the problem with phones - they are a ready-made diversion from the considerably harder work of growing a business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/here-s-the-problem-with-phones-they-are-a-ready-made-diversion-from/)

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

> [Systems permit ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results predictably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/systems-permit-ordinary-people-to-achieve-extraordinary-results/)

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

> [If you ever hope to get ahead as an entrepreneur, the answer is not becoming an effective juggler, but in understanding and designing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/if-you-ever-hope-to-get-ahead-as-an-entrepreneur-the-answer-is-not/)

[Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

[Explore all 122 Michael Gerber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If you haven't created the time as an owner to understand why people are choosing your model over your competition, then you are only managing the business that comes in the door, not actively seeking it out.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Gerber"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/if-you-haven-t-created-the-time-as-an-owner-to-understand-why-people/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/if-you-haven-t-created-the-time-as-an-owner-to-understand-why-people/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/michael-gerber-3751_business_if-you-haven-t-created-the-time-as-an-ow_63359.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/michael-gerber-3751_business_if-you-haven-t-created-the-time-as-an-ow_63359.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/michael-gerber-3751_business_if-you-haven-t-created-the-time-as-an-ow_63359.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you haven't created the time as an owner to understand why people are choosing your model over your…” — Michael Gerber",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Michael Gerber",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If you haven't created the time...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/if-you-haven-t-created-the-time-as-an-owner-to-understand-why-people/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/if-you-haven-t-created-the-time-as-an-owner-to-understand-why-people/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
